BRIEFCASE Hurricane Harvey: 2017 Law Center Year in Lends a Hand Review BRIEFCASE 2018 Volume 36 BRIEFCASE Number 1 Hurricane Harvey: 2017 Law Center Year in Review Lends a Hand Please direct correspondence to: Carrie Anna Criado University of Houston Law Center - School Centers, Briefcase Editor University of Houston Institutes and Select Programs Law Center A.A. White Dispute Resolution Institute 4604 Calhoun Road Interim Director, Jim Lawrence ’07 Houston, TX 77204-6060 [email protected] Blakely Advocacy Institute Executive Director, Jim Lawrence ’07 713.743.2184 713.743.2122 (fax) Center for Biotechnology & Law Director, Barbara J. Evans, Alumnae College Professor of Law Assistant Editor Elena Hawthorne Writers John T. Brannen, John T. Kling Center for Children, Law & Policy Photographer Elena Hawthorne Director, Ellen Marrus, Royce Till Professor of Law Design Seleste Bautista, Elena Hawthorne Editorial Assistant Lisa Lane Center for Consumer Law Printing UH Printing Services Director, Richard M. Alderman, Professor Emeritus Center for U.S. and Mexican Law UH Law Center Administration Director, Alfonso López de la Osa Escribano Dean and Professor of Law Leonard M. Baynes Criminal Justice Institute Director, Sandra Guerra Thompson, Alumnae College Professor of Law Associate Dean, HIPLA College Professor of Law Greg Vetter Environment, Energy & Natural Resources Center Associate Dean for Student Affairs Director, Victor B. Flatt, Dwight Olds Chair in Law Sondra R. Tennessee Health Law & Policy Institute Interim Executive Director for Law Alumni Relations Director, Jessica L. Roberts, Associate Professor of Law, George Butler Research Professor of Law Hope Young Co-director, Jessica L. Mantel, Associate Professor of Law Assistant Dean for Admissions Institute for Higher Education Law and Governance Pilar Mensah Director, Michael A. Olivas, William B. Bates Distinguished Chair in Law Assistant Dean for Career Development Tiffany J. Tucker Institute for Intellectual Property & Information Law Co-director, Sapna Kumar, Associate Professor of Law, George Butler Research Professor of Law Assistant Dean for Faculty Development Co-director, Greg R. Vetter, HIPLA College Professor of Law Professor Dave Fagundes Director, Business Operations Texas Innocence Network Mybao Nguyen Founder, David R. Dow, Cullen Professor of Law Director, Cassandra Jeu ’04 Assistant Dean of Communications and Marketing Carrie Anna Criado ’95 Juvenile and Capital Advocacy Project Director of Law Information Technology Founder, Legal Programs Director, David R. Dow, Cullen Professor of Law Tommy Abraham Professor of Practice, Katya Dow 2017-2018 UH Law Alumni Association Board © 2018 University of Houston Law Center Cynthia Mabry ’10 | President All publication rights reserved. The information contained here Fermeen Fazal ’00 | President Elect does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Law Center and Brad Aiken ’07 | Vice President the University of Houston. Laura Trenaman ’97 | Secretary University of Houston Law Center Directors 4604 Calhoun Road Brian Boyle ’04 Alex Roberts ’06 Houston, TX 77204-6060 Clayton Forswall ’11 Reece Rondon ’95 713.743.2100 Laura Gibson ’84 Judge Ravi K. Sandill ’01 www.law.uh.edu Warren Harris ’88 Kris Thomas ’83 The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier Nathaniel Martinez ’11 Victor Wright ’98 One public research university and an EEO/AA institution. Marie McGowan ’91 Richard Whiteley ’99 | Ex Officio 2 Briefcase 2018 DEAN’S NOTE This “Year-In-Review” edition of Briefcase magazine marks a modern and new format. It is meant to remind University of Houston Law Center alumni and friends of the happenings, successes, and challenges of 2017. Hurricane Harvey provided the greatest challenge of the year, and the Law Center community rallied to help those affected by it. Though the building itself survived water intrusion, the storm and its aftermath forced the closure of the school for 10 days. A number of students, faculty and staff fell victim to the flood waters that inundated large parts of the city, county and state. The magazine highlights some of the relief efforts led by the Law Center in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and the different ways we pitched in to help our neighbors. It also includes feature stories that occurred throughout the past year that showcase students, alumni, special programs, conferences, and additional community outreach initiatives. During the summer, another edition of Briefcase will be published with additional features and information about the Law Center and its future direction. I hope you enjoy this new format, and that reading about all the great things happening at the Law Center will reaffirm your pride in your alma mater and spark your interest in getting more involved. Dean’s Note 3 Sincerely, Year in Review 4 Hurricane Harvey 24 Brief Mentions 36 Leonard M. Baynes Law Gala 37 Dean and Professor of Law Holiday Coffee 38 Stay Connected 39 law.uh.edu 3 JANUARY 2017 Year in A LOOK BACK Review UHLC PROF. WILLIS STRESSES MEDIATION and Public Transformation of the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios GUIDELINES AT UN CONFERENCE IN TBILISI, Superiores de Monterrey, the Centro de Investigación para el Desarrollo A.C. (CIDAC), and the Faculty of Law and Criminology at the GEORGIA Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León. University of Houston Law Center The book is dedicated to former dean and professor Stephen P. Zamora, Professor Tasha Willis spoke in founding director of the Center for U.S. and Mexican Law and one of Tbilisi, Georgia at a United Nations the organizers of the research project. Zamora passed away in July 2016. program designed to reform that eastern European country’s judicial Center for U.S. and Mexican Law Affiliate Scholars who contributed to system, in part, through the increased the book include Dr. José Ramón Cossío Díaz, a justice of the Mexican use of mediation to ensure justice for Supreme Court, and Dr. Alberto Abad Suárez Ávila, professor-researcher all, especially children. at Instituto de Investigaciones Jurídicas de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (IIJ-UNAM). Willis, director of the Law Center’s Alternative Dispute Resolution The conclusion to the book was co-authored by Zamora and Tony (ADR) program and a mediation Payan, director of Rice’s Mexico Center. Tasha Willis clinic professor, spoke on the subject: “Regulating Mediation: Importance UHLC COMMUNITY JOINS VOLUNTEER EFFORT TO AID and Necessity of Voluntary Credentialing.” She stressed the importance IMMIGRANTS AFFECTED BY TRAVEL BAN of developing a system in which mediators actively choose to follow a defined set of ethical guidelines as opposed to being government As confusion mounted across the regulated. nation’s airports in the wake of a Jan. 27 order banning immigrants from certain The program, “Enhancing Access to Justice and Development of a Child countries, the director of the University Friendly Justice System in Georgia,” was sponsored jointly by The of Houston Law Center’s Immigration United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Clinic, in his individual capacity, former Development Project (UNDP). students, and local attorneys headed to Bush Intercontinental Airport to see if UHLC’S CENTER FOR U.S. AND MEXICAN LAW they could help. PARTNERS WITH RICE’S BAKER INSTITUTE FOR BOOK “We were an impromptu bunch of The University of Houston Law Center’s Geoff Hoffman volunteer lawyers who gathered with Center for U.S. and Mexican Law celebrated the little or no prior discussion to help publishing of a book that examines recent reform families get their loved ones released from Customs and Border of the energy sector in Mexico. Protection after arriving from all over the world,” said Geoffrey A. Hoffman, head of the Immigration Clinic, who worked into the night The book is titled, “Estado de Derecho y Reforma along with Rosemary Vega, a supervising attorney at the clinic. “Some Energética en México,” which translates to “The of the 20 to 25 volunteers were immigration attorneys, but most were Rule of Law and Mexico’s Energy Reform.” The not, their expertise and practice areas ranging from civil rights, criminal project is the culmination of a major research defense and federal courts to commercial litigation, tax and in-house effort to examine rule of law issues arising under counsel.” Mexico’s new energy legislation. International travelers, including those with green cards and valid visas, It was published in collaboration with the Baker Institute’s Mexico were questioned and some detained in the wake of Executive Order Center at Rice University, in association with the School of Government 13769. The order included a 90-day ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens 4 Briefcase 2018 of the predominantly Muslim countries of Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, America’s source of inspiration, power and compassion.” Sudan, Syria and Yemen, and a 120-day suspension of the U.S. refugee Law Center alumni who participated include: Sanajy Bapat ’14, Justen program. The president said the order was necessary to prevent “radical Barks ’13, Megan Daic ’13, Veronica Cruz ’15, Laura De La Cruz ’15, Islamic terrorists” from entering the country. Josh Hilbe ’14, Maha Khalil ’15, Katie Ray ’14, Adam Robertson ’14, Luiz “We answered questions and assured families who were waiting for Ruiz ’14, and Alexandra Vickery ’13. hours that relatives holding valid visas or green cards would be released under a nationwide stay order issued by a federal judge in New York,” UHLC PARTICIPATES IN UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON’S Hoffman explained. “We stood ready to file habeas corpus petitions in the event family members were not released or detained.” “HERE, WE GO” CAMPAIGN The University of Houston Law Center played a supporting role as the The volunteer attorneys also spoke with customs officials trying to University of Houston unveiled its $1 billion capital campaign, “Here, determine the status of travelers being detained or questioned. We Go: The Campaign for the University of Houston” on Jan. 18.